July 21, 2009

Forever Faithful

2 Timothy 2:1-13

If we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot disown himself.
2 Timothy 2:13

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Growing up, I had a neighbor a few years older than me. If I fell off my bike, Bruno would be there to help me get home and fix my bike. If I was having trouble building a fort, Bruno would appear and help secure a few walls. And if a group of older boys started harassing me, Bruno would step in as my bodyguard. I was always on the receiving end of that relationship; Bruno was big, strong, and tough as nails, and I was just a little nine-year-old.

Sometimes I wonder why Bruno was so faithful to me. Why did he look after the little kid next door without fail, even though there was never anything in it for him?

The psalmist asked that same question of God. He prayed, “LORD, our Lord … what are mere mortals that you are mindful of them … ?” (Psalm 8:1, 4). Why does the God of heaven care for us?

According to 2 Timothy 2:13, God is faithful to his tiny creatures because it’s in his nature to do so. If God were ever to be unfaithful, he would first have to disown himself, because in his very nature God is faithful. Even though we can give God only a little in return, he remains forever faithful to all whom he loves. And amazingly, by his Spirit, God wants to grow that same faithfulness in us.

O God, your faithfulness amazes us. Make our hearts good soil so that your faithfulness may also grow in us. Make us trustworthy, we pray, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

About the author — Shawn Brix

Rev. Shawn Brix has served as pastor in several Ontario churches. He and his wife, Jenny, have three children.

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